A Florida man who admitted he dragged a shark by its fin while riding on a speed boat was sentenced to prison on Feb. 28.
Michael Wenzel, 22, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty and a misdemeanor charge of using an illegal method to catch a shark.
Wenzel and two others were arrested and charged in December months after a video that showed the stunt circulated widely online.
The video was accompanied by a picture that showed the shark torn to shreds.
Warning: Video contains graphic content
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“These actions have no place in Florida, where we treasure and conserve our natural resources for everyone,” Florida Wildlife Commission Chairman Bo Rivard said when announcing the charges. “It is our hope these charges will send a clear message to others that this kind of behavior involving our fish and wildlife will not be tolerated.”
Wenzel was initially charged with two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and a misdemeanor of using an illegal method to catch a shark.
The plea deal got one felony dropped and the other reduced to a misdemeanor.
Wenzel was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 11 months of probation. The jail time will be on weekends starting on March 8. In between the weekends, he will be free, reported WFLA.
Wenzel was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community, of which half must be carried out at an animal shelter, while his fishing license will be suspended for five years. In addition, he must pay a fine of $2,500.
Remember the Florida trio who dragged a shark from the back of a boat?
Two of them were in court today. Michael Wenzel (pictured) plead guilty to charges that’ll get him 10 days in jail (plus other penalties). Robert Benac goes to trial June 24.
STORY: https://t.co/kR9If0LwWr pic.twitter.com/LI8PSaYd4f
— Greg Angel (@NewsGuyGreg) February 28, 2019
There was some drama in the courtroom as Judge Mark Wolfe believed that Wenzel was smiling during the sentencing.
“Is there something funny about this?” Wolfe asked, reported the Tampa Bay Times.
“No, sir,” Wenzel replied. He left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.
Wenzel’s attorney, Charles Britt, said the plea deal was fair and noted that the charge of dragging the shark was dropped because an expert said the shark appeared to be dead after analyzing the videos.
UPDATE in shark-dragging case: The captain of the boat, Michael Wenzel, will serve 10 days after pleading guilty to two charges of animal cruelty. A co-defendant, Robert Benac, is headed for trial.@TimesDan @TB_Timeshttps://t.co/9ZaE6rih13
— Tony Marrero (@TMarreroTimes) February 28, 2019
“I have the distinct impression that anything other than a long-term prison sentence wouldn’t make these animal activists happy,” Britt said.
Some weren’t happy with the sentence. “This is a privileged kid,” said Marie Galbraith, a member of Florida Voices for Animals. “This is a slap on the wrist.”
According to The Islander, all three men charged in the case “have prominent Manatee County parents.”
Wenzel’s father is a county planning section manager while the father of Robert Benac is a county commissioner, the community outlet reported.
1 in ‘shark drag’ case seeks to reduce charges https://t.co/QmATtaGLVV
— The Islander (@ami_islander) June 19, 2018
Benac is expected to face two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and a misdemeanor of using an illegal method to catch a shark on June 24. He faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted. Benac rejected the plea deal that Wenzel took on Thursday.
The charges against a third man, Spencer Heintz, were dropped after authorities said he was largely a spectator. Heintz and a fourth man on the boat cooperated with investigators, officials said.
The video was initially sent to authorities after wide circulation online. Charter fishing captain Mark “the Shark” Quartiano was one of those who posted it, expressing his disgust.
Quartiano told WESH that he received the video in a message from one of the defendants who later sent him pictures of the shark in pieces.
This is just really sick, one of the most horrific things I have seen in 50 years of professional sport fishing,” Quartiano said. “I don’t know if this is criminal, but it would seem to me that this is animal cruelty and they should be prosecuted.”
